Man, Woman Injured In Small Plane Crash In Johnston County

Selma, NC -- A man and woman were injured Thursday evening when their small plane crashed in Johnston County near Selma, authorities said.

The Piper plane was reported down near a private airstrip near N.C. Highway 96 shortly after 7:30 p.m.

The male pilot and female occupant were both conscious and taken to WakeMed, authorities said.

The plane is registered to owner Phillip Essey of Laurinburg, according to Federal Aviation Administration records. His wife, Helen Essey, told WRAL that her 24-year-old daughter, who lives in Greenville, was flying the plane with an instructor.

Essey said authorities called them to say there was a crash, but she was not able to speak with her daughter.

A resident who lives near the crash said the plane was flying low and slowly. It reportedly clipped some power lines, causing an outage in the area.

Duke Energy Progress reported 420 customers were without power. The company expected to restore electricity around 10:15 p.m.